After playing in seven games with the USA Baseball Collegiate National team, sophomore shortstop C.J Hinojosa has been placed on the final roster and will compete in international play this month.

This is not Hinojosa’s first time playing for USA Baseball, as he held spots on the 14U and 16U national teams before coming to Texas.

Hinojosa is the 20th Longhorn to make the team and the first Longhorn player since Jordan Danks, Hoby Milner, Corey Knebel and Erich Weiss were on the squad in 2011.

In his few games before being finalized on the roster, Hinojosa made an impact. In his seventh game, he hit a double to drive in three runs for USA to win 5-2 and keep its perfect record.

“As a young student-athlete who has played for several teams in the USA Baseball organization, C.J has been comfortable playing at the highest amateur levels,” Texas baseball head coach Augie Garrido said when Hinojosa was picked to attend training camp in June.

Hinojosa played every game at shortstop for the Longhorn baseball team this season and was named to the 2013 Big 12 All-Freshman Team. He finished the regular season with a .309 batting average, second on the team, and recorded 10 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 29 RBIs and 11 errors.

“As his game went on throughout this season, he continued to improve,” Garrido said. “He made tremendous defensive strides as a middle infielder, especially with his accuracy. He has proven to be one of the top collegiate all-around shortstops in the nation.”

The national team began international play on July 5 in Japan with an exhibition match against the Matsuyama Industrial League and then the 39th U.S.A.-Japan series July 6. The team will come back to the U.S. for two more exhibition matches before taking on the Cuban national team July 18 in Des Moines, Iowa.

The day after a national champion was crowned in Omaha, Longhorns right-hander Nathan Thornhill talks about hoping that he’s a part of the dogpile there this time next year.

Thornhill was selected in the 24th round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros, who gave him the biggest offer they could but it wasn’t enough to sign the 6-footer from Cedar Park. Instead, Thornhill wants to right the Texas ship after the Longhorns missed out on the postseason each of the last two years.

“One day, I’d be leaning toward signing and the next day I’d be leaning toward coming back. I could never really get any clarity on what was best for me,” Thornhill said. “The University of Texas has done a lot for me. They took a chance on me coming out of high school and gave me shot to fulfill my dreams. This decision was a great decision for me and it was also a decision that was made for a bigger cause and that cause is our school.”

Thornhill went 3-6 with a 2.21 ERA, striking out 60 and walking 15 in 85 1/3 innings last season. Thornhill has made 54 career appearances, including 26 starts, going 10-11 with a 2.83 ERA over the last three years and holding opposing hitters to a .238 batting average.

Other than the win-loss record, Thornhill put up good numbers in 2013 yet slipped in the draft. He was the last of four Longhorns picked this year, the others being closer Corey Knebel (1st round, Tigers), third baseman Erich Weiss (11th round, Pirates), and right fielder Mark Payton (16th round, Angels).

“I was a little surprised. I thought I was going to be drafted earlier,” Thornhill said. “There’s anxiety. There’s being nervous and there’s a little frustration because you’re wondering when it’s going to happen. When it finally happened, it was just excitement and relief. It was a great feeling.”

After spending most of his freshman year in the Texas bullpen, Thornhill was named the team’s ace before his sophomore season. He was a middle reliever by the end of that 2012 season before becoming the team’s No. 3 starter, behind sophomores Parker French and Dillon Peters, last year.

“We are thrilled to have Nathan back for the 2014 season,” pitching coach Skip Johnson said. “Having him back is a huge boost to our pitching staff, and we are excited to get going again this fall. We feel like this pitching staff will have a great mix of leadership, experience talent and dedication.”

All three – Thornhill, French and Peters – will return for the 2014 season, along with sophomore John Curtiss, who missed all of last year after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. A spot in the Longhorns’ rotation isn’t guaranteed but, following a solid junior season, it’s hard to imagine Texas leaving Thornhill out.

“I’m not sure who is going to have what roles. I’ve been a starter and I’d like to continue on that path,” Thornhill said. “I’ve been pretty versatile as a pitcher. I’ve never thought that I can only do one thing.”

While the Longhorns return each of their three starting pitchers, they’ll have a new closer. While Weiss and Payton still mull the decision to sign or stay, Knebel has agreed to terms with the Tigers after saving 37 games in three years at Texas.

While Thornhill wants to be a starter, he wouldn’t mind being asked to be the team’s closer.

“I’d be honored that they would have that much faith in me,” Thornhill said. “That’d be a compliment to me, not so much to my ability but more to my mental toughness and the fact that I like to attack. I wouldn’t be mad about that. I’d be honored.”

Like Huston Street in 2002 and J. Brent Cox in 2005, David Berg closed out a national title-clinching win for UCLA on Tuesday night. The Bruins completed a sweep of Mississippi State to capture their first national championship in program history.

UCLA relied on its pitching and defense to win that title, hitting only .250 as a team in 2013 while posting a team ERA of 2.55. Texas, a team that is similarly built but was forced to watch the NCAA Tournament from home, hit .260 as a team this year while posting a 2.53 team ERA.

“It was cool to see a team with a similar style as us win it all because it shows we’re on the right track,” Thornhill said. “We’ve just got to get better at what we do.”

The Bruins won 49 games this season, 22 more than the Longhorns. Similar styles, different results. Thornhill is looking to change that next year.

“I can’t even say how great of a feeling that would be,” Thornhill said. “We have a tradition at Texas where winning it all is something that we want to do and something that’s kind of expected. Getting [to the College World Series] and you need to win when you get there. Doing that would be the icing on the cake.”

Junior Erich Weiss contemplates the disappointments of the past two seasons as he considers returning for senior year.

A baseball crashed into Erich Weiss’s face two weeks ago, fracturing his nose and leaving a cut running down to his right cheek. In an unfortunate way, it’s perfectly symbolic of Weiss’ last two seasons and of his career: another bad break.

“It’s tough to accept,” Weiss said. “The season’s not over yet, we can still make a run for it, but we’ve gone through a lot so far.”

This much is clear: Weiss’ first appearance as a Longhorn, two seasons ago, was no fluke. For his first career hit, he tripled into right field. He finished the weekend hitting .818. That year, the Longhorns went to Omaha, and Weiss was the star at the plate. He did it again in 2012, hitting .350. He’s doing it again this time around, second on the team in hitting (.309) as a junior.

The mood the past two seasons, however, is different. At 23-20, the Longhorns are not a good baseball team, despite a very good pitching staff and the efforts of Weiss and Mark Payton (.379). They weren’t good last season, either, missing the NCAA postseason for the first time since 1998. If the season were to end today, the Longhorns wouldn’t even make the conference tournament.

What looked inevitable two summers ago after the Longhorns lost their first two games in the College World Series has not happened.

“When we left Omaha, we said, ‘We’ll be back,’” Weiss said. “We all assumed we’d be back there. I kind of felt it’d be like that the rest of my time here.”

The loss to North Carolina — the one that sent them packing from Omaha — was made easier to stomach because the Longhorns were young and just scraping their potential. They’d get back, they’d be better, maybe they’d dogpile. The absence of Taylor Jungmann and Brandon Loy would hurt, but not that much — more talent, like Parker French and Dillon Peters and C.J. Hinojosa was on the way — and the core five of freshmen starters (Weiss, Payton, superstar closer Corey Knebel, pitcher Nathan Thornhill and catcher Jacob Felts) would only get better.

Instead, the Longhorns are a combined 53-42 the last two seasons.

“It is sad,” Weiss said. “It’s difficult because we’ve grown so close over the years at Texas, too, and we all want to win — everybody wants to win. It’s just hard when you don’t.”

The Texas players will have you believe there’s a run left in them, that this season shouldn’t be considered dead.

“The team we have is really good,” Knebel said weeks ago. “It just hasn’t gone our way sometimes.”

With Weiss and Payton the only players hitting above .300, it’d be a miracle if the Longhorns were to win their next two conference series, against Kansas State and TCU, after not having won one all spring. If they get in the Big 12 tourney, they’d likely have to win it all to make an NCAA Regional.

“Hopefully we can make a stand,” Weiss said.

For Weiss, the last two years have been unlike anything he’s ever experienced. He was a winner right out of the chute in college. At Brenham High School, he said the varsity won 18 straight games while he was a junior and won the State Championship his senior year.

“I had gotten used to winning. I had never been on a team that lost a lot,” Weiss said. “It’ll be okay after we’re gone, in the future.”

Ah, the future. In a December interview, Weiss intimated to me this season would be his last in Austin, as he’ll be selected in the earlier rounds of June’s MLB Draft. But Wednesday, in a brief break before a workout and Texas’ practice at Disch-Falk Field, he didn’t balk at the suggestion he might return for his senior season if this campaign leaves too bitter of a taste. He’s gotten through this one by his love of baseball and of his school — “We still get to play at the University of Texas, and that’s still unbelievable” — and, when asked what will be the biggest takeaway from his time on the 40 Acres, Weiss sounded like a man still with plenty to accomplish and like a man who knew how good he had it.

“I wish there was a memory of me holding a trophy up,” he said with a sigh. “But it’s hard to say it’s going to be that much better after college — you don’t get to stay at the (supposedly-haunted) Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City, you don’t get to eat all this good food.”

And with that Erich Weiss stood up, said goodbye and walked back into the clubhouse to get his practice gear, presumably ready to finish what he started.

Innings 1-3: Except for Erich Weiss’ home run in the bottom of the first, the Longhorns didn’t score through the first three frames, though they connected on two base hits. Junior Josh Urban gave up only one hit through three innings as he faced just one over the minimum.

Innings 4-6: The Texas pitching staff continued to dominate on the mound. Freshman Travis Duke came in as relief in the fifth and the Cougars couldn’t get a hit until the sixth inning. C.J Hinojosa had an RBI single in the fifth to plate Weston Hall. The Longhorns took advantage of a dropped third strike to score a run in the sixth. Hall finished off the inning with an RBI double to plate Brooks Marlow.

Innings 7-9: The offense went scoreless in the final two innings registering no hits and two strikeouts. Junior Ty Marlow came in as relief in the eighth and gave up only one hit while striking out three to close the game for Texas.

By the Numbers:

4: The Texas offense recorded four strikeouts in the bottom of the sixth inning. Junior designated hitter Jacob Felts struck out swinging but was able to reach due to a wild pitch on the third strike.

10: Brooks Marlow extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a single in the bottom of the sixth inning.

28: Junior Mark Payton reached base safely in his 28th consecutive game Tuesday night. Payton went 0-for-3 against the Cougars but walked in the seventh.

Stock Up:

Erich Weiss: In his first start since breaking his nose against West Virginia this past weekend, Weiss hit a home run deep out of right field in his first at-bat in the bottom of the first inning. The junior finished the night 1-for-4.

Stock Down:

Contact: Texas offense had trouble making contact Tuesday night against the Houston pitching staff. The Longhorns recorded 11 strikeouts while only coming up with four runs off eight hits. To make matters worse, the Texas pitching staff combined for only five strikeouts on the night.

What’s Next for the Longhorns:

The Longhorns will travel to Waco this weekend for a three-game series against Baylor. The Bears (21-20, 8-6) are currently ranked fourth in the Big 12 despite a 2-1 series loss on the road to TCU this past weekend. Texas will be looking to take its first conference series of the season after dropping eight straight, the most recent to West Virginia.

It had been a long time since Erich Weiss last made a slow trot around the bases.

In his 38th game and 135th at-bat of the season, the third baseman finally connected on his first home run of the season in the first inning of the Longhorns’ 4-0 victory over Houston on Tuesday.

“It was awesome,” Weiss said. “I hope it will get me going. It is kind of a weight off, you just got to play the game and take what it gives you.”

The home run also marked the first hit by Weiss since he was forced to leave Friday night’s game against West Virginia after a pitch hit off his helmet and broke his nose. Weiss made his first start since the injury on Tuesday after pinch-hitting in Sunday’s game.

Neither team scored again until the fifth inning, when C.J Hinojosa hit a single to right field to drive home Weston Hall and extend his team leading RBI total to 24. Texas would add two more runs in the bottom of the sixth on a run-scoring wild pitch and an RBI double by Hall.

Josh Urban was dynamic in his third consecutive Tuesday start, as he allowed just one hit in four scoreless innings while striking out one. Travis Duke pitched three scoreless innings to lower his ERA on the season to 0.64, and Ty Marlow came in from first base to pitch the final two frames.

The Cougars struggled to get anything started on offense, recording only four hits in the game. Only one of those hits went for extra bases, and they went down in order in five different innings.

Following the win, head coach Augie Garrido was pleased with the way his team fought to win the game and acknowledged the urgency to compile wins throughout the rest of the season.

“It was a grind on offense,” Garrido said. “We just had to keep grinding it out. Every game is big for us. Every game’s a must-win game. There is nothing left for us to do than win every game we possibly can. We all know that and you can’t hide from that.”

With the win, Texas evened the season series against Houston one game to one. The Cougars took the first matchup by a 4-3 score on March 19 in Houston.

The Longhorns are now 22-17 on the season and 18-8 at home. That said, they will need to pick up several key wins on the road this weekend at Baylor to improve their standing in the Big 12. Texas is 5-10 in conference play this season and is tied with Texas Tech for last place in the Big 12.

Texas will look to pick up its first Big 12 series win of the year this weekend in Waco, with the first game scheduled to begin Friday at 6:35 p.m.

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The Longhorns have dropped the ball in series after series this season, dealing a big blow to their chances of reaching the NCAA Tournament. But in the last four games, the Longhorns have literally dropped the ball too often.

Although Texas earned an important 6-1 win over UT-Pan American on Tuesday night, the effects of its series loss to Kansas over the weekend still linger. Texas scored 12 runs in three games against the Jayhawks, but its nine errors were the most glaring concern to come out of the series.

Texas looked poised in last Friday’s series opener against Kansas after jumping out to a 4-2 lead early in the game, but a few errors and runs later, the Jayhawks were able to take command with a three-run fifth inning. The game went 12 innings before a winner was declared, but the Longhorns’ five errors and 10 strikeouts said all that needed to be said about the loss.

In Game Two, the Longhorns pulled out a 2-1 victory behind a complete-game gem from Dillon Peters, but still managed to leave seven runners on base while committing one error in the field.

Three more errors were committed by Texas in the rubber match of the series, with the Longhorns falling short, 4-3. In that series finale, Texas recorded 10 hits but left 12 runners on base while the defense allowed two unearned runs during Nathan Thornhill’s otherwise solid eight innings on the mound.

Despite scoring a solid 12 runs in the three-game series with the Jayhawks, the sweet part of the Longhorns lineup continued to leave runners on base. Erich Weiss went a combined 4-for-12 at the plate while Ty Marlow went 4-for-13 and single-handedly left eight runners on base.

The Longhorns’ everyday catcher, Jacob Felts, who has flown under the radar this season and is normally a defensive asset, recorded three of Texas’ eight errors from behind the plate in the series. For a team that feeds off consistent pitching and defense, such a lack of focus cannot happen against Big 12 competition.

Weiss, who is currently second on the team with a .323 batting average, continued his rough patch at the plate by going 0-for-5 with five runners left on base in Tuesday’s win against UTPA. The Longhorns’ third baseman is clearly one of the cornerstones of the lineup, but his 29 strikeouts lead a team that can’t afford to miss opportunities to score.

When it comes to records, West Virginia is in the same boat as the Longhorns this season. The Mountaineers score a lot of runs but their 3.90 team ERA should provide the Longhorns their best chance at claiming their first Big 12 series win this season.

This weekend’s series will bring one of three things for the Longhorns: errors and missed opportunities, or wins. West Virginia gives Texas its best chance so far to get the latter.

Third baseman Erich Weiss has been one of the premier Texas hitters since he joined the team two years ago. Despite seeing his average drop .038 points since the start of April, Weiss is focused on ending his slump against Oklahoma.

The junior, heralded as one of the best hitters on the slumping Longhorns’ roster, has been slumping in recent games but plans to focus on giving 110 percent and improving during the Longhorns’ do-or-die series against West Virginia this weekend.

“We all realize our situation, we’ve dug ourselves into a big hole,” Weiss said. “It is kind of like a fear of losing. We used to feel that we need to win and we have to win. Every time we make a mistake they seem to be able to capitalize on it and we can’t come back.”

Weiss is hitting .323 at the plate, second on the team behind junior Mark Payton and his .397 batting average. Over the past few games, Weiss has been frustrated at the plate. This past week against UT-Pan American, Weiss went 0-for-5 against a struggling Broncs pitching staff. Weiss has gone a staggering 7-for-33 this month and has seen his average drop from the .360 at which it started at the beginning of April.

“It’s very frustrating,” Weiss said of struggling. “I just need to keep it up at the plate. Don’t swing at pitches outside of the strike zone, don’t help a pitcher and take what you can get.”

Despite his recent struggles, Weiss has the full support of the coaching staff and of the team. Texas head coach Augie Garrido still refers to Weiss as his star-at-the plate and as a “monster hitter.” With the increase in errors and the decrease in production at the plate, Garrido said that the frustration builds and leads to more mistakes and less success.

“The demon gets bigger and bigger,” Garrido said of the growing frustration of losing. “Whatever you fear, you make happen, and we are afraid, we’re kind of paralyzed at the plate.”

In what could be his final season at Texas, if he decides to submit his name to the MLB draft this summer, Weiss is still optimistic about the Longhorns’ chances and is itching to get into the postseason. As he proved in practice this week, Weiss can still spray uncatchable balls deep into the outfield better than almost anybody else on the roster.

“We play just as good as any team. We’re doing the wrong thing at the right time,” Weiss said. “The coaches have talked to us individually and as a team and I think we’re pretty excited to get into this series this weekend to show that we can play.”

The Longhorns will host West Virginia in a three-game series this weekend starting with Game One on Friday night at 7 p.m. Games Two and Three will follow on Saturday and Sunday. In their inaugural Big 12 season, the Mountaineers have been struggling, going 21-17 on the season and 4-5 in Big 12 play. This is the first time that the two teams will meet.

“This is definitely a needed series to win, especially because it would be our only Big 12 series to win,” junior pitcher Corey Knebel said. “We definitely need the momentum and it’s do or die.”

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Another Big 12 series slipped through the Longhorns’ fingers Sunday afternoon. Texas dropped the rubber match to Kansas, 4-3, on Sunday, dropping two of three games to the Jayhawks this past weekend.

All three games were decided by one run as the Longhorns (19-15, 4-8) are now 9-7 in games decided by one run this year.

In game one, the Longhorns pushed the Jayhawks to 12 innings with the score tied at six before dropping the contest, 7-6, off a walk-off RBI single with two outs.

The Texas offense was productive in the series opener. Both Ty Marlow and Ben Johnson each had solo home runs in the second. Three straight hits by Erich Weiss, Mark Payton and C.J Hinojosa followed to put the Longhorns up, 4-0. The Jayhawks battled back in the third inning, getting two runs before taking the lead in the fifth with a two-run home run. Texas tied it up twice to force the game into extra innings.

The Longhorns evened the series on Saturday afternoon with a 2-1 victory over Kansas in game two. Sophomore Dillon Peters pitched a complete-game surrendering one run off six hits. Payton scored first for the Longhorns off a walk in the second before playing Brooks Marlow in the third for the 2-0 advantage. The Jayhawks struck back in the seventh with an RBI double to cut the Longhorns lead to 2-1, but were unable to mount a comeback.

In Sunday’s series finale, the Longhorns had a chance to take their first conference series since beating Kansas twice in three games last April. Texas got up early with an RBI single in the top of the first from Hinojosa before Kansas responded in the third to tie the score. A two run fourth inning by the Jayhawks gave them the lead. Texas came back in the fifth with two runs, consisting of an RBI single by Weiss and a sacrifice fly by Ty Marlow to tie the game.

The Jayhawks got the go-ahead run in the sixth thanks to two errors by the Longhorns defense. Texas struggled in the field Sunday afternoon, committing three errors that resulted in several runs. Junior Nathan Thornhill threw nine innings for the Longhorns and grabbed the loss to fall to 2-3 on the season.

The Longhorns will host UT-Pan American on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. Texas beat UT-Pan American 6-1 in their last meeting March 5.

Starting Rotation: The series against Oklahoma this past weekend turned out to be a low-scoring pitching duel. The Texas rotation starters kept pace all weekend with the Sooners’ staff, which sits atop the Big 12. Despite getting the loss in Game One on Friday night, sophomore Parker French had a strong showing while surrendering only two runs off five hits.

On Saturday, sophomore Dillon Peters pitched perhaps the best game of his collegiate career, turning in seven no-hit innings before finishing with only two hits in the shutout victory. On Sunday, Nathan Thornhill pitched a one-run, four-hit seven innings, fanning seven batters, tying his career high. Junior Corey Knebel, however, gave up three runs in the eighth to give the lead away.

Stock Down:

Erich Weiss and Mark Payton: The two juniors have been the top offensive performers for the Longhorns all season. However, both Weiss and Payton turned in sub-par performances against the Sooners this past weekend. Despite being responsible for the Longhorns’ only two runs on Sunday afternoon with a two-RBI triple, Weiss went 3-for-12 against the Sooners, striking out seven times. Payton went 1-for-8 through three games with three strikeouts.

Weekend Breakdown:

Game One: Pitcher Jonathan Gray had a dominating game on the mound for the Sooners on Friday night in the 2-1 Game One Oklahoma victory. Gray had eight strikeouts and frustrated the Texas offense all evening. Sophomore Parker French was handed the loss after surrendering a run in the first and another in the sixth. The Longhorns’ only run of the ball game came in the third when freshman Mark Gottsacker scored on a wild pitch.

Game Two: The defensive battle continued as the game remained scoreless through five innings before a single by freshman Ben Johnson scored Gottsacker to put the Longhorns up permanently 1-0. Sophomore Dillon Peters pitched a solid game from the mound, producing seven no-hit innings before giving up two in the eighth. Junior Corey Knebel came in during the bottom of the eighth to get his seventh save of the season.

Game Three: Thornhill started for the Longhorns and pitched seven innings surrendering only one run and striking out seven. Knebel came in to close with the Longhorns up 2-1, but gave up three runs in the top of the eighth to hand Texas the 4-2 game three loss as well as the series loss. The Longhorns’ only two runs came in the third off a two-RBI triple by Weiss.

Stats:

6: Straight conference losses for the Longhorns. The last Big 12 series picked up by Texas was a 2-1 victory over Kansas back in April of 2012.

7: Thornhill had seven strikeouts Sunday afternoon, which tied a career-high for the right-hander.

.389: Junior Mark Payton is currently hitting .389, down from .410 at the beginning of the month.

After managing just eight runs in five games from March 15-22, the Texas lineup has been on a tear during the last six games. The Longhorns are hitting .316 as a team during that stretch and have recorded double digit hits in five of those games.

Erich Weiss has been leading the offensive surge, as he is hitting .478 over the last six games. Alex Silver is second with a .450 batting average, and Mark Payton is not far behind at .444.

“It is getting much better,” Silver said of Texas’ hitting. “It is a day-by-day process and Coach [Augie] Garrido really stresses that.”

Payton continues streak

With a hit in each of Texas’ three games over the weekend, Payton extended his hitting streak to a career-high 16 games.

Payton’s previous career long was eight games, which he accomplished last season. With a hit in his next game, the junior right fielder would join four other players for ninth place on the list of longest streaks in Texas history.

Payton is putting together the best season of his career, as he leads the team with a .421 batting average and 11 extra base hits and is tied for first in RBIs
with Weiss.

Pitching dominant at home

Texas has started the year with a 13-4 record at home, and this is due in large to the success of the Longhorns’ pitching staff while at home.

The Longhorns have recorded a 2.24 staff ERA at home through 17 games and are holding opponents to a .211 batting average. They have not allowed more than five runs to an opponent in a home game this season.

The pitching staff has been a strength in general for Texas this year, as it boasts a 2.83 overall ERA through 26 games. The staff is allowing just 2.55 walks per game.

Knebel successful as closer

After allowing a run in each of his first two outings of 2013, Corey Knebel has been nearly unhittable.

The closer is 3-1 with a 1.17 ERA and six saves in 15 appearances, and he has struck out 32 batters in 23 innings.

Knebel has not been scored on in his last 10 appearances (13 1/3 innings). He has recorded 20 strikeouts and batters have averaged .071 during that span.